1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to brown algae-derived fucoidan. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for preparing brown algae-derived fucoidan with a low-molecular weight in which fucoidan is more efficiently extracted from brown algae and then degraded to a low-molecular weight (hereinafter, the term “degraded to a low-molecular weight” and the term “low-molecularized” will be used interchangeably) so that it is readily absorbable in the human body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Brown algae-derived fucoidan is a viscous ingredient called “mucopolysaccharide” contained in brown seaweed such as Hizikia fusiforme, Undaria pinnatifida, Laminaria saccharina, Ecklonia cava, Cladosiphon Okamuranus and Nemacystus decipiens, and is composed of 2 to 4% on a dry matter basis of fibrous polysaccharide. Fucoidan contains a slight amount of proteins and lipids, but is rich in various nutrients including essential minerals (e.g., calcium and iodine) and vitamins which are beneficial to the human body. In addition, the viscous ingredient constituting fucoidan is known to contain alginate which inhibits absorption of cholesterol and laminin which has drawn a great deal of attention due to its excellent antihypertensive effect. In particular, sulfated fucose, fucose and galactose are abundant in fucoidan. Brown algae-derived fucoidan has been the focus of intense interest, since anticancer effects of sulfated fucose and fucose were reported by Japan Cancer Association in 1995. However, fucoidan is composed of sparingly-degradable polysaccharide having a high molecular weight of 3,000,000 to 5,000,000, which is impossible to digest. Thus, biodegradation (i.e., conversion from a high- to a low-molecular weight) of the fucoidan is indispensably prerequisite for practical utilization of the beneficial ingredients in the human body.
Korean Patent Registration Publication No. 1981-0000029 discloses a method for isolating and purifying fucoidan, laminarin and alginate from brown algae using phosphate. Korean Patent Publication No. 2003-0020064 discloses a fucoidan extract-containing beverage prepared by inoculating lactic acid bacteria in a fucoidan extract obtained from seaweed, followed by fermentation. However, these patents merely employ fucoidan in a beverage by improving taste or flavor of an extract which is prepared from high-molecular weight fucoidan as such or in a simple manner, thus making it difficult to realize availability, in terms of the characteristic of fucoidan whose degradation is prerequisite for its absorption in the human body.
In addition, there are brown algae-derived fucoidan products that are currently on the market. However, such a fucoidan product undergoes no suitable low-molecularization and focuses on its functionality only, thus making it difficult to ensure reliability of effects in the present state.
In order to utilize efficacies of fucoidan in the human body, the first thing to do is efficient low-molecularization of fucoidan. Recently, active studies associated with low-molecularization of fucoidan are being made by a great deal of domestic and foreign research institutions which have taken notice of the utility of fucoidan. To date, however, there is no efficient method that is capable of degrading fucoidan to a low molecular weight enough to be absorbable in the human body without causing any loss or deterioration of valuable ingredients contained in fucoidan, and furthermore enabling mass-production.